Tag Archives: France

China’s state-owned CNPC has replaced France’s Total in Iran’s multibillion-dollar South Pars gas project, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said, according to the semi-official news agency ICANA on Sunday. “China’s CNPC has officially replaced Total in phase 11 of South Pars but it has not started work practically. Talks need …

The UAE and France have re-affirmed their determination to further consolidate their strategic partnership and doubled on their keenness to ensure close coordination and continued consultations at a time the region is witnessing increased volatility and instability. This came in a joint statement issued by the two countries following the …

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has emphasised that the UAE and France are partners in the fight against extremism and terrorism, support values of tolerance, promote dialogue, interaction and coexistence among peoples, civilisations …

Germany has issued entry bans for 18 Saudi citizens suspected of involvement in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Riyadh’s Istanbul consulate, effectively banning them from the European Union’s passport-free Schengen zone. Monday’s move represents a sharpening of the position of Germany, which last month imposed a ban on …

Saudi Aramco has approached banks to finance its $5 billion Amiral petrochemical project that the state-owned oil producer plans to develop with France’s Total, five sources familiar with the matter said. Aramco, the world’s largest crude producer, plans to boost investment in refining and petrochemicals in a bid to cut …

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that he and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to put pressure on oil producers to bring down prices. Oil prices have risen 45 percent since Macron took office in mid 2017 and his government is facing pressure on high prices from a grassroots …

Turkey has given recordings on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, the United States, Germany, France and Britain, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday. Turkish sources have said previously that authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting the murder. Speaking ahead of his departure for France …

Amid media reports of former French president Francois Hollande claiming that the Indian government suggested a particular private firm for Rafale offset contract, the Defence Ministry on Friday reiterated that neither government had any say in the “commercial decision”. “The report referring to former French president Hollande’s statement that government …

by Meekaeel Siphambili Gaborone, Botswana: Consortium of Africa Funds for the Environment (CAFÉ) bemoans lack of access to climate funds as a setback towards the looming disaster of environmental and climate change which has already left a path of destruction in some countries. The Chief Executive Officer of   Forest Conservation …

The Latest on the Syrian conflict (all times local): 3:40 p.m. France’s foreign minister says Syrian President Bashar Assad has won his country’s civil war but won’t “win the peace” without a political solution brokered by the international community. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also reiterated threats of Western …

President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Wednesday received at his residence in Evian, France, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on the occasion of Eid Al Adha. Shaikh Khalifa accepted Eid greetings …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed in a phone call on Thursday to foster trade ties, a Turkish presidential source said, after the lira’s dramatic fall in the wake of escalating tensions with the US. “Both leaders emphasised the importance of fostering economic and …

France sent 50 tonnes of medical aid to government-controlled eastern Ghouta in Syria on Friday after Russia agreed to facilitate its delivery, raising hopes for future aid efforts, French officials said. The aid, which will arrive on a Russian plane to a Russian military base in north-western Syria from France …

Alexandre Benalla, an assistant to President Emmanuel Macron’s chief of staff, was filmed targeting a woman and a man during May Day protests. He was caught on video by a student activist and left the scene once challenged on camera. He was identified from the video by French newspaper Le …

France’s weapons sales to the Middle East doubled in 2017, a government report showed, as President Emmanuel Macron defied pressure from lawmakers and rights groups to curb arms flows to a region mired in conflict. France is among the world’s leading arms exporters, its sales surging in recent years on the back of …

The European Commission will launch on Friday the process of activating a law that bans European companies from complying with US sanctions against Iran and does not recognise any court rulings that enforce American penalties. “As the European Commission we have the duty to protect European companies. We now need …

A missile attack targeting government outposts in Syria’s northern region killed 26 pro-government fighters, mostly Iranians, a Syria war monitoring group said Monday, amid soaring Mideast tensions between regional archenemies Israel and Iran. Iranian media gave conflicting reports about the overnight incident amid speculation that it was carried out by …

Russia’s foreign minister said Saturday the United States is trying to divide Syria. During a meeting with his counterparts from Iran and Turkey, Sergey Lavrov said the recent U.S.-led missile strikes on Syria “seriously aggravated the situation.” He added that statements about supporting the territorial integrity of Syria “are only …

Oil major Total said it will buy a majority stake in French electricity retailer Direct Energie in a €1.4 billion (Dh6.3 billion, $1.73 billion) deal that will make it a major challenger to state-owned market leader EDF. Total has entered into an agreement with the controlling shareholders of Direct Energie …

The United States, in coordination with France and Britain, carried out a series of predawn air strikes on Saturday in Syria in response to what it said was a chemical weapons attack this month in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma. The strikes were the latest development in a long-running …

Western allies warned Syria on Saturday that they could launch further attacks if chemical weapons are used again, even as Syria’s powerful backer Russia denounced the missile strikes but gave no signs of possible retaliation. The flurry of statements after Friday’s coordinated strike of U.S. cruise missiles — along with …

Both the US and France denied the air strikes on Syrian military targets, which had reportedly killed Iranians. Several US officials said on Sunday there was no truth to reports that the US military had launched air strikes against a Syrian government air base. The US denial followed a report …

Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Wednesday it had signed a deal with French building and engineering group Artelia to manage the development of its offices in the eastern city of Benghazi. There have been plans for years to move the state oil firm’s headquarters from the capital Tripoli …

A gunman killed four people and injured several others Friday in an attack that roiled the country that has borne the brunt of Europe’s recent struggle with terrorist violence. One of the victims, Arnaud Beltrame, was a 44-year-old police officer who had traded places with a hostage in a supermarket …

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is being detained for questioning as part of an investigation looking into allegations that he took millions of euros from Libya to fund his 2007 election campaign. Police took Sarkozy into custody on Tuesday as part of investigation that began in 2013. He is being …

Maxime Hauchard, a French terrorist sought by French and US authorities since emerging in a Daesh execution video in Syria, has been killed, sources close to the inquiry told AFP on Thursday. “The date and circumstances of his death aren’t yet known, but it appears he died in the summer …

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed to continue an offensive in eastern Ghouta near Damascus on Sunday as his forces advanced into the last major rebel enclave near the capital. The offensive is one of the deadliest in the war and one local insurgent group called it a“scorched earth” campaign. The …

An ancient sculpted rock, depicting camelids (even-toed ungulate mammals) and equids (a mammal of the horse family), has been found in the northern Saudi province of Al Jawf. Although the camel has been a common motif in the artworks of the region for millennia, the latest discovery is “unprecedented” in …

The Syrian government hit back on Thursday against French criticism of its military campaign in rebel-held Idlib, saying it was targeting terrorist groups that were not party to an agreement to reduce fighting in the rebel-held region. France said on Wednesday it was extremely concerned by the government offensive in …

French President Emmanuel Macron said a contract with China for 184 Airbus A320 narrow-body jets would be finalized soon and that his country also had ambitions to sell A350 and A380 planes to China in coming weeks or months. The potential A320 order, which had not been previously announced, would …

By Sarah Safa — Terracotta Army, place of departure of the French President’s visit for China, the emblematic site was few time back also designed as the departure point of the new silk road, from where the “Belt and Road” initiative was launched by the Chinese government. There is no …

Israel on Sunday identified 20 activist groups from around the world whose members will be banned from entering the country over their calls to boycott the Jewish state, stepping up its fight against a movement it views as a serious threat. Israel last year enacted a law that would ban any …

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia against making belligerent statements on the recent developments inside Iran, calling on them to tone down their rhetoric which, he said, could lead to “war.” “The official line pursued by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, who are …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will visit Paris on Jan. 5 to meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, with the conflict in Syria high on the agenda, a source in the French president’s office said on Saturday. Among the regional crises the two leaders plan to discuss, there would be a …

Former French president Francois Hollande condemned on Tuesday the move by the United States to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at a time of high political and military tensions around the world. Speaking to delegates at the 10th annual Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai, Hollande criticised President Donald …

The former chief executive of LafargeHolcim, the world’s largest cement maker, and five other top officials are being formally investigated as part of a government inquiry into whether the company helped finance the Islamic State militant group and other armed factions while operating a factory in Syria. The expanding investigation …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Israel’s “irreplaceable” relationship with the United States in his first public remarks after the Trump administration said it would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, but he did not address the move directly and instead stressed the threat of Iran. Netanyahu lauded Israel’s expanding …

That is according to the chief executive of French retailer Bayara, who has been driving a programme of change that has seen the seller of dried fruits and nuts grow to nearly Dh500 million in annual sales. Value added tax (VAT) will force retailers to continue in to next year …

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday he would draw up a list of extremist organizations to convey to Saudi Arabia after its crown prince pledged to cut their funding. Saudi Arabia finances groups overseen by the Mecca-based Muslim World League, which for decades was charged with spreading the strict …

Outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks in Cairo on Tuesday with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during a stopover on his way from Paris to Beirut. Hariri’s resignation on Nov. 4 triggered a political crisis in the power-sharing government. In brief remarks after Tuesday’s meeting, he thanked El-Sisi …

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived Saturday in France from Saudi Arabia, where his resignation announcement two weeks ago sparked accusations that he was being held there against his will. A source close to Hariri confirmed he had landed after flying in overnight from Riyadh, while Lebanese TV station LBCI showed …

The Saudi-led coalition rescued two French journalists on Thursday who had gone missing in an area of Yemen held by the Iran-aligned Al Houthi group, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported. The channel said the two women had been “kidnapped” by the Al Houthis on November 2 while travelling with a …

Hariri resigned in an address from Riyadh on November 4, saying his life was in danger. He has not been back to Lebanon since, fueling speculation that he is being held against his will. His announcment plunged Lebanon into a political crisis and stoked fears of conflict between the Saudi-backed …

When the Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri made a sudden trip abroad last week, it was taken at first to be a routine visit with his political patron, Saudi Arabia. But the next day, he unexpectedly announced his resignation by video from Riyadh, the Saudi capital. He has yet to …